UFC 113 saw Mauricio Shogun Rua "redeem" himself with a stunning knock-out of reigning light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. After a technical and interesting start to the first round, which show-cased Machida's adaptation to Rua devastating leg and body kicks and, all told, was going well for the champ, Shogun connected with an oddly angled right hand to the side of Machida's head during a short, close quarters exchange. Machida fell down, and Rua's killer instincts took over. He followed The Dragon to the ground, immediately assuming mount position and connecting with several strong punches to Machida's head. The fight ended with Machida unconscious on the ground. He had never before lost a fight, let alone suffer a knock-out.
Rua's victory is as legitimate as they come, and puts to rest the questions surrounding the controversial decision awarding Machida the win last time the two met. However, up until that right hand, the fight was going The Dragon's way. He was checking the low kicks that had to hurt him in their last fight with ease, and even took Rua down to the ground twice. (Though seen primarily as a striker and extolled for his "elusive" karate style, Machida is a black belt in BJJ and holds several victories by submission.) Machida "got caught," as they say, and while he has lost his first match and his sheen of invincibility, he showed in only a few minutes that he is capable of adapting to others who believe they have found the answer to his unorthodox, mysterious technique.
The biggest question in my mind is: What comes next for Lyoto Machida? He will not have an immediate shot at regaining the title. The winner of Evans vs. Jackson will most likely be Shogun's first challenger. Meanwhile, look for Machida to face a second tier contender, perhaps Forrest Griffin. Machida vs. Griffin would be an excellent match, allowing both these fighters a chance to reestablish themselves and giving us a longer, better look at how Machida has learned to deal with low kicks. Griffin could also face Jon Jones, the Endicott native who's been making waves with his ruthless striking (he broke Brandon Vera's face) and his exquisite takedowns. At some point, I hope to see Jones face Machida, with the winner going on to fight for the title, most likely against Shogun, who is unlikely to lose to Rashad Evans (I mean, come on) or Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, whom he has already defeated. Most likely, both Jones and Machida will have to fight once more before facing each other.
This is all assuming that Machida has not suffered too much psychological damage from his defeat. Touted as almost unhittable, Machida has now suffered a loss of consciousness due to strikes. This must have a horrible effect on his confidence and his faith in his training. Remember Cro-cop? And if he does come back, will we still see him looking for finishes or victories as a striker? After GSP suffered a freak KO loss to Matt Serra, he turned to wrestling and BJJ as his primary weapons. Machida could perhaps pull the same maneuver, though I, for one, hope he doesn't.
Ultimately, I expect to see Lyoto Machida compete for the championship again. But he has a long, hard road ahead of him.
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